Book Review: Chasing the Diamonds by Mary Martinez

What do rare ruby diamonds have to do with a Senator’s missing son?

Welcome!

First: A big thank you to Goodreads Giveaways for this e-copy of Chasing the Diamonds in exchange for my honest opinion.

It wasn’t half bad.. but it almost felt like we came late to the party and while everything does eventually piece itself together, it made this a less than stellar read for me. Fortunately, it’s one of those books you can flip through without worrying you’ve skipped over something important.

I know, I know, it doesn’t sound like the most promising recommendation but I believe there really is a reader for every book.
The question is.. is this one for you?

Enjoy!

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Chasing the Diamonds by Mary Martinez

Publication date: May 23, 2023
Pages: 283
Genre: Heist Thriller
Book 1 of 3: Roni Investigation Files

First line: The diamond nestled on a bed of white velvet to showcase the deep red.

3.5 Stars

Characters: Interesting but a bit cliché.
Storyline: Not boring.. just ‘Meh.’
Pace: It putters along nicely.
Writing: There were some editing mistakes but the rest was well done.
Cover: 3/5

POVs: Seven.
We switch back and forth between at least both major and minor characters, which gives us a better idea of what the lead protagonist, Roni Staples, truly faces.

Synopsis taken from Amazon

When Senator Denning reaches out to Roni Staples to set up a meeting, she’s intrigued. But when she learns the reason for the meeting is because the senator’s youngest son is missing and there is no ransom, it’s not a good sign. She must find the senator’s son and the longer it takes, the less chance of a live recovery. What she doesn’t need is a civilian tagging along.

Sebastian Sosa is an easy going, singer songwriter. Life is good. He’s had a few bumps along the way, but he’s now a successful business owner. His nightclub ranks in the top ten of Tennessee’s best restaurants and brings in up-and-coming talent. Then someone decides to use his place to lure a senator’s son to kidnap him for information on two rare red diamonds.

Now Sebastian is invested in finding the culprits. Even if he isn’t a trained professional, he will help Roni in her investigation, despite her qualms.

My Review:

This is one of those reads that sounds way more exciting than it is..
That’s not to say it wasn’t a decent enough read, it just wasn’t very thrilling.

Neither the characters nor the storyline really stood out to me. Roni, our protagonist, teetered between being competent and interesting.. to just flat-out making poor life choices throughout the book. It was almost as though the author couldn’t decide what kind of person she wanted her to be. And Sebastian was a little too perfect. Good looking, talented, helpful, instantly attracted to Roni—a total cliché.
Despite that, or maybe because of it, I breezed right through the book.

This is the kind of read you don’t have to invest too much thought into, the kind you can easily read at the beach or on the side and not feel like you’ve missed out on much. And while it may have not been the best fit for me, I’m more of an ‘on the edge of your seat, pulse-pounding, completely invested’ kind of girl, I can see many enjoying it.

The pace wasn’t half bad and there’s enough going on to keep you turning pages.. but a lot of it was predictable and I just felt like it tried too hard.

Would I recommend it? Yes
Those who like a simple mystery, with little violence and almost no blood or gore, will likely find Chasing the Diamonds an appealing distraction.
Will I be continuing the series in the future? Not likely. I would be willing to check out other books by this author though.

And that’s all folks!
Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed my review.. or at least found it helpful.
Have a wonderful day and, always, Happy reading!

I’ve found myself less interested in crime fiction lately and leaning more towards fantasy..
Do you occasionally bounce between genres?